Fate
by Shian
Summary: Everything the Prince and Farah sacrificed to undue is happening again as time struggles to restore itself before Dahaka is forced to step in. Set between SOT and WW. UPDATE: Ch. 6 [7 on ch. counter] IS UP!
1. Prologue

Summary: Everything the Prince worked to avoid is happening again. Can the Prince stop things before it's too late? Or is he doomed to relive his horrendous mistake all over again?

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Fate  
****Prologue**

The sounds of laughter and merrymaking outside never reached the still young man sitting inside his personal tent, concentrating on his task at hand. At first glance, he looked to be a mere boy of noble lineage. His youthful looks belied the wisdom obvious in his steely-blue eyes. The Prince of Persia sat bent over a piece of parchment in his tent, a quill in hand. Hanging lanterns sent shadows from his quill dancing along the tent walls. His own shadow only moved when he paused to dip his feather quill in the inkbottle at his side.

_It's frightening how much you can come to know about a person in such a short amount of time. Little things, like the way that one piece of hair was always loose, dancing across her face in battle, and the way she never seemed to notice, stick out. And I'll never forget the way her eyes would light up when she saw me- not that I blame her really. I **am** irresistibly charming, not to mention my dashing good looks… and I had been one of the three people still alive, but that's not the point. _

_The point is **her**. She was- or still is, radiant. Not to mention graceful- except for that one time she shot me. It was lucky for her I had sand left in the Dagger and could rewind and duck. It was hilarious how she insisted she could never shoot me and that "her aim was as perfect as her looks". The latter I'll agree on. In all of Persia there isn't a woman as feisty as she is… and none near as worthy of myself as she had been._

_Her skin is smoother and softer than the finest Persian silk. And her touch…_

The Prince closed his eyes, going back to a certain memory… **_she in his arms, her lips on his, their hands intertwined… _**

"Son," his father's voice snapped him out of his daydream.

"Yes, father?"

"Why aren't you outside, celebrating our latest victory?"

The Prince shifted uncomfortably under his father's gaze. "I guess I just do not see a reason to celebrate, father."

"Of course, you are young, restless," his father gave him a sound pat on the back. "I understand how you must feel, I felt the same when I was your age. Still, it is good for morale, something you will understand more when you are older."

"I suppose," the Prince said, not meeting his father's eyes.

"Son, are you still upset over India? I know you anticipated the invasion and I was proud of you for hiding your disappointment as well as you did, but you can't hide it from me. Have patience, my son. In time you will get your invasion."

Before the Prince could reply his father had left. He almost went after him to see what he meant, but he decided he would find out in time. For now, he had other, more pleasant things to think about.


	2. Setting the Stage

Summary: Everything the Prince worked to avoid is happening again. Can the Prince stop things before it's too late? Or is he doomed to relive his horrendous mistake all over again?

Thanks to my reviewers- I made note of your suggestions and took the advice that was given. I just want to say that I do go back every now and then and reword tiny bits of chapters- but don't get frustrated, I never change anything that will damage the entire story.

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Fate  
****Chapter One: Setting the Stage**

The next morning, after a quick breakfast from his rationing pack, the Prince packed his tent and found his father. His father, it turned out, had just finished checking his own gear and supplies.

"Walk with me to the horses," his father offered. The Prince complied.

"Father, what did you mean last night?" he asked.

"Hmm?" His father turned his head to look at him.

"You mentioned invading, I thought we were going home?"

"Son, you know I don't give up _that_ easily."

"But, Father, you yourself admitted our lack of men."

"Yes, which is why I sent for help. The Sultan of Azad and his army will rendezvous with us outside of India tonight," his father said. Noticing his son's stricken manner he queried, "Is something the matter? I thought you _wanted_ to invade India."

"That was before, things have… changed," the Prince trailed off.

"Changed? Why, just the other day you were begging me to continue travelling through the night and yet today you are begging me to reconsider?"

"I…" The Prince faltered and his stared at the ground. '_What can I tell him? That what he seeks will be his downfall, as well as everyone else's?'_ "I just do not wish to be let down again due to ill preparation and lack of resources."

"It is so comforting to hear you thinking things through for once. Whatever transpired last night has done wonders for your maturity level, I am proud to say," his father said. The Prince felt a small swell of pride at his father's words. "But, as I've repeatedly said before, I realized this a while ago and sent word to Azad to join us. He was unfortunately delayed and your impatience pushed me to go ahead with it." The swell of pride shrank back to normal.

"You never told me what we were waiting for, you kept saying it was a surprise!" the Prince exclaimed.

"But I just told you now, didn't I?" his father laughed.

The Prince sighed and shook his head. "I think your memory may be slipping, old man."

"Hard to see how you remember anything when you never pay attention in the first place!"

"I'm sorry, were you saying something?" the Prince asked innocently. The father and son shared a good laugh that, in the Prince's opinion, didn't last long enough. A question tugged at the corner of his mind and, though he was reluctant to disrupt the jovial atmosphere. Still, nothing lasts forever. '_I discovered that the hard way.'_ Besides, he was running out of time. "Did you say the Sultan of Azad?"

"Yes, why?" his father said as he untied his horse's reigns.

'_It was in the Sultan's palace that the Sands were released… and now father is sending for him to come join us? Is it possible for such a thing to be a coincidence? What is happening?' _"No reason," he quickly changed the subject, "What about an alliance?" His father paused in his task of checking the straps on his horse. The Prince smiled as he remembered something, _'"Always check your saddle straps. You never know when some novice will be given the task of preparing your horse," that's what he told me on the first day we camped out here.'_

"An alliance? With India? We tried that once before, _remember_? That turned out to be a disaster and a waste of time," he said.

The Prince flinched, "Of course I remember, how could I forget? But that was such a long time ago-"

"Hardly twelve years," his father countered. "Besides, what would we gain?"

"Another ally?" The Prince tried.

His father let out a barking laugh. "I have more than enough allies-"

"So what's one more?" The Prince interjected.

"My son, there's nothing wrong with being nervous about your first invasion, it's completely normal. Still, it is a hindrance and can only be overcome by admitting it!" The Prince was left speechless by his fathers' misinterpretation of his actions. "Son, unless you can give me a good reason not to invade India, then I will." His father mounted his horse and galloped to the head of the assembling army, signaling an end to the conversation.

The Prince untied his own horse deep in thought. _'I have to stop this. Could I warn her? No, curse it, we won't get there until night and by the time I got to her room it would be far too late for the Maharajah to alert his guards. But I have to try, I have to do **something**.'_ The Prince mounted his horse and followed after his father.

* * *

The setting sun cast fiery hues of red, orange, and yellow across the sky. The Prince sat mounted by himself, watching the sunset with a grim expression. The excitement he had felt the first time they tried to invade India was long gone. He took his hat off and wiped his brow of the sweat as his heavy breathing returned to normal. He decided not to put his hat back on, as there was no need to wear it at night. His father rode up beside him, laughing. "Haha! That was fantastic. We should race more, my son. I had no idea how good you had become." 

'_Probably because my brothers aren't here for you to dote upon,_' The Prince thought almost bitterly, but he held his tongue. Being the youngest was hard enough at home, but for now he had his fathers full attention and he would enjoy it while he could. "That we should, father," was all he was able to say before the Sultan of Azad rode up to meet them.

"Ahh, King Sharaman, so good to see you," the plump little man said, bouncing in his saddle.

"And you as well, Sultan. How are things?"

"Good, good, about to be even better," he jibed and they both laughed. "Come, we have much to discuss before the night is fully upon us," he beckoned. King Sharaman and his son followed the jovial Sultan his tent where they dismounted and went inside.

"Before I forget," the Sultan said, "I brought something I thought would be of great assistance." He pulled out a large sword and set it on the table before them. Its finely adorned sheath and hilt misled one into thinking it to be for mere show, something its sharp blade corrected. Candlelight glinted off the strangely familiar blade as the Prince and his father took turns examining the beautiful designs. The Prince felt his jaw drop when he realized what it was. "The blade of Rustan," he whispered.

The Sultan smiled at the Prince and nodded. "It is," the Prince handed the sword to his father. King Sharaman handled the sword formally, taking a few practice swings, his face aglow with delight. "Yes, this will be _very_ useful," he murmured. He finally handed the sword back to the Sultan, though his eyes frequently darted back to it. The Sultan sheathed the sword. Before he could say anything the Prince interjected, "Father, I should scout the area."

His father gave him a questioning look, but shrugged, "You change your mind quicker than your mother, but go ahead."

"Thank you, father," the Prince gave a bow and left.

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**R&R-** and don't be afraid to make any suggestions or critiques, I won't get offended, promise. The second chapter is part of the way done, but might take longer than a week to post because of my neglect for certain school projects, which are catching up with me. 

Whoops, I accidentally called the sword of Rustan the sword of Ramadan… whoops. Sorry for the confusion.


	3. The Sands Released

Summary: Everything the Prince worked to avoid is happening again. Can the Prince stop things before it's too late? Or is he doomed to relive his horrendous mistake all over again?

Sorry for the extremely long wait. But it's now second semester at school and the work load has doubled. I hope this long chapter makes up for it! Forgive me if Ch. 3 takes just as long, or worse!

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Fate  
****Chapter Two: The Sands Released**

Armand shifted his weight from one foot to another as he stifled yet another yawn, despite the cold. It was late and he was still adjusting to being awake at night. Not that he had a choice, if he fell asleep on guard duty he would be beheaded on the spot. Still, he couldn't help but think it unfair that he had been reassigned to the night shift after he had been at the morning shift for so long. He'd be sleeping right now, as early as it was.

He shifted into a comfortable position, but immediately snapped out of it. _Somebody has to put bread on the table._ His eyes drooped again and when he shook himself awake again there was a strange man in front of him. Before he could shout an alert the man hit him over the head with something, knocking him unconscious.

After disposing of the only guard, the Prince silently crept into Farah's room and up to her bed. Moonlight filtered into the room from the now heavily secured window. '_I guess she doesn't appreciate night visitors.'_ The Prince intended to calmly wake her up. She was sleeping calmly under silky red covers, a content expression on her face. The Prince was unable to take his eyes off of that face. '_I didn't get the chance to see her sleep before.'_ He unconsciously reached out and gently stroked her cheek. Farah smiled in her sleep and the Prince felt his heart jump. Her eyes opened slowly and her smile vanished. The Prince snapped out of it and put a hand over her mouth before she could call for the guards.

"It's me, the storyteller. I will not harm you," he whispered. Farah calmed down and he removed his hand. She sat up coolly, ready to spring at a moment's notice. Her covers slid away to reveal the all-too-familiar sleeveless, creamy white top that she had worn when he spoke with her only a few days ago. _'Was it really only a few days?'_ She looked very regal in this sleeping outfit compared to the red prisoner one he was used to. _'She cleans up well… though she was beautiful even when dressed as a captive…'_

"How did you get in here?" she demanded.

The Prince flashed a toothy smile. "I have my ways."

Farah glared at him. "What do you want this time? Another harrowing tale of horror?"

"The King of Persia and Sultan of Azad are camped outside your palace preparing to attack even as we speak," he said.

Farah rolled her eyes. "Not this again."

"It's true! You _must_ believe me. How else could I be here even now?" the Prince insisted.

"Perhaps you are just a dream, I _have_ dreamt of you lately," Farah suggested.

"You cannot feel in dreams, yet you can feel me," the Prince said, holding out his hand. Farah touched it but withdrew her hand quickly.

"So you are real, so what?" she demanded.

A low banging sound came from outside at her balcony. The Prince's face paled and he whispered, "It has begun." He grabbed Farah's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come with me, we have to get the Dagger of Time, before someone else does," he said.

Farah recoiled and snatched her hand from his. "The Dagger is safe. I have to warn my father-" she moved to leave but the Prince grabbed her and held her tightly.

"Listen. To. Me," her body trembled and he thought he had hurt her, he loosened his grip on her slightly. He didn't realize _he_ was the one trembling. "It's too late for that now. There's nothing you can do to save your father or your kingdom. If we don't hurry everything that I foretold **will** come true. If you don't believe me, then fine, I have to protect the Dagger." He released her and moved to leave. She collapsed into a coughing fit, and the Prince faltered. She got to her feet with a glare.

"You are heartless," she spat. "All you care about is that stupid Dagger- probably as a souvenir."

He sighed. "If I wanted it as a souvenir, why bother giving it back to you as I did only a few days ago?" The only reply he got was a glare.

"You could always try to stop me," he shrugged.

"Maybe I will!" Farah snarled.

"Good luck!" he offered cheerfully as he sped out the door.

* * *

Everything was just as he remembered, not that it had been very long. '_Even if it had been years since I was here last, my excellent mind would still be able to recollect how to evade all, if not most, of these traps.'_ He narrowly avoided being sliced in two by a tricky razor trap. _'I've seen worse.'_ He continued to effortlessly maneuver his way to the Maharaja's treasure vaults. 

'_I wonder how Farah is doing.' _He couldn't help but smile. _'I'll bet she's stuck near the entrance. She'll be fuming when I return with the Dagger-'_ He froze.

The Dagger wasn't there. _'I'm too late…but how is that possible?'_ The Prince slammed his fists on the altar where the Dagger _should _have rested. "No!"

Farah arrived only a few moments later, bow in hand.

"It's not there…" she said, stunned.

The Prince looked up at her. "How did _you_ get up here so quickly? You can't climb very well, especially with your bow."

"You don't know that," she stated, raising her chin a little. She fingered her bow nervously.

"Actually, I do. You told me yourself," the Prince argued. The moment the words left his mouth he bit his tongue. _'Not good.' _

Farah put a hand on her hip. "I don't know where this constant flow of lies originates, but I suggest you dam it, and soon," she said, glaring at him.

The Prince gave a mock bow. "Of course, princess," he said with a smirk.

"How did _you_ get up here so fast anyway?" Farah demanded. "No one has ever made it past my father's assortment of traps alive!"

"Well I have, twice- oops, sorry," he said, cupping his hand over his mouth. His amusement was still evident even behind his hand. She glared at him.

"You made it, didn't you?" The Prince said, changing the subject.

"I have my ways," Farah said mockingly.

"Riiight," the Prince said sarcastically.

Farah's lips twitched up into a smirk, despite her anger. The Prince gave her a toothy grin before he suddenly stiffened.

"Farah, the Hourglass!" he said.

"What?" she asked.

"If the Dagger isn't here… then someone had to have taken it so they could release the Sands," the Prince insisted. He looked down, expecting to see a familiar yellow glow, but was met with darkness. He felt his face go cold and he couldn't draw himself away. _It has to be there. Where else could it be?_ Farah's voice snapped him back to reality.

"No one knows about the relationship between the Dagger and the Sands outside of India… except for you…" she took a step back, giving him a strange look. "How did you…?"

"Already told you," he interrupted. "Farah, does your father ever move the Hourglass?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because it's not where I thought it was. Do you know where it is?"

"Yes, my father likes to show it off whenever we have visitors, though it seems our truce was a farce,"

The Prince gave her a puzzled look, but dismissed it. For now, it was superfluous. "Then we must hurry," he picked her up and cradled her in his arms.

"What! What are you, put me down this instant!" Farah screeched and started struggling.

The Prince shook his head. "Do you _want_ me to drop you?" He asked. She immediately calmed.

"Alright then, hang on," The Prince backed up and started running towards the edge.

"Where are you-!" Farah yelled, grabbing onto the Prince's neck.

"Trust me," he said calmly and picked up speed. '_I hope this works…'_ He ran until he got to the edge, but instead of stepping off the edge and plummeting to his doom, he leaned over slightly, put his foot on the wall and started to run across the wall. He repeated this maneuver multiple times and he was just about to run along the last wall to get to the entrance when Farah screeched, "Stop!"

The Prince stopped, nearly falling off the edge, but catching his balance before they both fell. "What is it now?" he asked.

"Put me down and I'll show you a shortcut out of here," Farah said.

The Prince raised an eyebrow in question. "Promise you won't run away?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "Come on!"

"Alright, alright," Prince laughed and put her down. Farah started feeling along the wall at her eye level.

"What are you doing?" he queried.

"Looking for, ahah! Here it is," Farah said, her hand on the wall. The Prince looked closer to see a very round indention, too round to have been accidental. Farah took of her amulet and fit it perfectly in the hole.

"Family heirloom?" the Prince asked.

"Something like that," she responded as the wall rumbled and moved back.

"Strange, how I didn't hear you come in this way," the Prince said.

Farah gave him an amused look. "There are _many_ secret passageways throughout this kingdom and I know all of them better than anyone," she declared as she retrieved her amulet.

The Prince bowed. "Ladies first."

Farah guided him down a long, low passageway that obviously hadn't been used for a while. He could ignore the dust and the spiders, but when he tripped over a pile of bones he couldn't help but be concerned. "Farah, are these passageways trapped?" he asked.

"Yes, but this one just shuts you in unless you have the amulet to get out," she said matter-of-factly. The Prince involuntarily shuddered.

"Where does this lead?" the Prince asked.

"To my father's throne room. The Hourglass is there as well. Now come on, we're almost there," Farah whispered. A little ways off sounds of fighting could be heard. They arrived at the end of the tunnel, but the Prince held Farah back.

"Maybe you should let me…" he said.

Farah agreed. She put the amulet into the door and stood behind the Prince, bow at the ready. Likewise, the Prince took out his sword. The throne room looked as elaborate as the Prince expected. Marble tiles gleamed with the light of the Hourglass and other lanterns. It would have seemed heavenly if it had not been for the soldiers locked in combat, pausing only for a moment to see what the noise was. A black figure slinking along the edges of the throne room caught the Prince's eye.

"Farah, look!" he pointed.

"He's heading for the Hourglass! Guards! Someone! Stop him!" Farah screamed.

'_They're too busy, and it looks like they're losing to my father's army anyway. Strange, no one seems to notice that dark figure but Farah and I.'_ He chased after the dark figure, shouting to the Persian soldiers and pointing at Farah, "Touch her and die."

The figure approached the Hourglass and pulled a dagger out of their pocket. '_The Dagger of Time! No!'_

"No!" Farah and the Prince shouted simultaneously. The cloaked figure ignored them and pushed the Dagger into the Hourglass. The glass that had so resolutely held back the Sands disappeared and the Sands immediately came pouring out, turning everyone it touched into horrible monsters of sand. Most of the Indian soldiers made a run for it, but the Persian soldiers never had a chance.

"Run!" Farah yelled. "This way, follow me." The Prince followed Farah as she led him through a long hallway, down some stairs and then another long hallway. They passed Persian and Indian soldiers locked in combat, servants running in a panic, and chaos everywhere. Farah yelled at everyone they saw, "Run! The Sands are coming! The Sands are coming!" but judging from the tortured screams coming from behind them, it was to no avail. Farah stopped in the middle of the hall, taking off her necklace and shoving the face into a circular indention in the wall. The sound of the wall moving aside roared above the screams of people turning.

"Get in!" Farah urged. The Prince didn't give it a second thought. Farah retrieved her amulet and followed after him. The wall rumbled back in place.


	4. Phobias: Part One

Summary: The Sands have been released and the Prince and Farah have fled for their lives. How will they survive without the Dagger?

Wow, I have no idea what's going to happen until I actually type it up, either! That's so coool!

I wanted to say thanks to my reviewers. I told ya it would take a while to update! Sorry about that, I had a butload of schoolwork. 2nd semester heck. LOL! Ok, ok, on to the story, before I get lynched:-P

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Fate  
Chapter Three: Phobias, Part One**

The door closed and not even a second later they heard a great roar as Sand came rushing through the hallway they were just in. A yellow light emanated from Farah's amulet. Never one to show surprise, she calmly examined the tunnel door. "Well, it looks like we won't be getting out _this_ way," she said to herself.

"Why not?" the Prince asked, speaking from somewhere behind her. There was a barely controlled tone of panic in his voice. Moving the amulet to and fro, Farah found him trembling on the ground with head on his knees and his arms wrapped around his legs, incoherently whispering something over and over.

"What is it? Are you ill? Cold?" Farah asked, alarmed. The Prince looked up at her with wide, pleading eyes. Pleading for what, she did not know.

"Your word isn't working," he accused.

She blinked. "What word?" she asked.

"Nevermind," he said crisply. A second later he managed to murmur just loud enough for her to hear, "I don't like closed spaces." Farah was barely able to contain her laughter.

"What?" he demanded. "I don't see how you can find this the least bit _humorous_. It's perfectly reasonable for someone well acquainted with large, open spaces not to appreciate being so… enclosed."

"You were fine before," Farah accused.

"I had a lot on my mind," he whined. '_Stupid light… it wouldn't be as bad if I couldn't see the walls… no. No, it'd be worse. I wouldn't be able to reassure myself that the walls weren't closing in on me without it…'_

Her hands lifted his face from his arms until his eyes met hers. "There's no way to open this door from the inside, so we'll have to find the end of the tunnel. But we can't exit this tunnel if you can't even move," she said calmly and stood up. His eyes followed hers, never losing contact.

As if mesmerized, Farah found herself unable to tear away from that piercing emerald gaze. '_Those eyes…'_ She stumbled, leaning against the wall for support. The rough wall against her bare lower back snapped her out of it and she looked away. "Please don't look at me like that," she whispered.

"Like what?" the Prince asked. Farah didn't answer and instead began her way down the tunnel, her face downcast as her amulet lit the way. He followed, lost in thought until he collided into a suddenly stationary Farah and was jolted back to reality.

"Hey! Watch it!" she yelled.

"Why did you stop?" he asked.

"Because I didn't particularly feel like getting skewered by spike traps right now," she said, turning around to glare at the Prince. He wasn't looking at her though, he was looking behind her.

"Oh, no," he moaned.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her hands touching her bow automatically. It was then that she heard a horrible roaring sound echo in the passage. _'What is that?'_ She followed the Prince's gaze behind her and saw yellow balls of light at about mid-height, further down the passage. She gasped, loaded her bow and aimed it at the light.

"We can't fight them," the Prince said, pulling Farah back towards the entrance of the tunnel. '_If only I had that sword that I found after…'_ he mentally winced. _'No, now is not the time to think about that.'_

A whooshing sound roared through the tunnel and a humanoid figure appeared before them. It was barely visible despite its glowing midsection and the suddenly intensified emanation of green light from Farah's amulet. However, the Prince didn't need to see it to know what it looked like. Every detail of such creatures, from the sallow, grayish skin stretched across a barely clothed body, to the unexplained, random rips and tears, had been forever imprinted in his mind.

The creature raised its arm. The Prince instinctively parried the blow and yelled to Farah, "How did it get in here? Those creatures can't go through walls!"

Farah furrowed her brow and fired her bow. "I don't have a clue how, but now is not the time to wonder." The arrow embedded itself in the creature's arm. The monster gave a great scream and pulled the arrow out.

The Prince jumped back to avoid a blow, nearly running into Farah in the small space. "Farah, there's not enough room. Find the exit, but be careful!"

"Alright, then," Farah said. He saw the light of her amulet going slowly down the tunnel and strained his ears for the sound of any traps going off. The sand creature lashed out at him, cutting his arm and painfully reminding him of its presence. He felt blood trickle out of the wound and instinctively clutched his arm with his free hand. He held up his sword in defense and waited.

'_I just have to figure out its' style…' _It surprised him by aiming a direct blow to his stomach, which he was barely able to block. He heard a shattering sound and guessed the creature's sword had broken. _'Now what?'_ He didn't have long to wonder. Traps went off behind him and he turned around. He saw something coming straight at him and instinctively ducked. He turned around to see an arrow embedded in the monster's skull. The creature gave a mighty scream and the Prince slashed at it with his sword. The creature fell down and the Prince began his way across the trapped floor.

"Are you _trying_ to kill me!" the Prince yelled at Farah as he went.

"You're still alive, aren't you?" she said. The tone of her voice brought an image of her standing there with her hand on her hip, smirking at him almost playfully, into his mind. He felt his heart jump as he pictured her. '_Such defiance in anyone else would have been too much to bare, but in her….'_

The traps stopped about ten feet away from where they began. Farah stood waiting for him. _'As always.'_

"You're lucky I was able to duck," the Prince said.

Farah took that pose that made his heart race. "I figured you were smart enough to put two and two together when the traps went off."

He felt his lips twitch into a smirk. "So you finally acknowledge my superb intelligence, then?"

She scoffed. "You presume too much, Prince."

"Perhaps," he glanced down the tunnel, "So, any idea how much farther the end is?"

"Why? Starting to get claustrophobic again?" Farah asked.

"Maybe," was all he said before he started walking.

"Just think of wide open spaces," Farah offered.

"Like that'll help," the Prince grumbled. Farah rolled her eyes and muttered something about 'ingrates' but otherwise was silent. A few moments later the Prince began repeating a mantra under his breath. Farah caught what he was saying and smirked. _'A desperate ingrate. Handsome, too, and he knows it.'_

"You might want to let met lead. Afterall, I have the light and my head about me," Farah offered.

The Prince scowled. "I am fine!"

"If you say so," Farah said.

Not a moment later the Prince walked straight into the wall, giving himself a nasty bump on the head. "Ow!" he yelped. He rubbed his throbbing temple and turned around to see Farah grinning. "You could have warned me, you know!" he accused.

"You said you were fine," she said, her grin widening to a point where it appeared menacing in the glow of the amulet. However, a familiar whooshing sound echoing down the tunnel stopped him from commenting. All humor left the two of them as Farah quickly darted ahead to find the dent. The Prince unsheathed his sword and took a guarded stance. He stared straight ahead at the blackness and saw a small glow that disappeared and appeared again closer and closer followed by the ever-growing whooshing sound. The Prince backed up unconsciously.

"Watch out," Farah yelped when the Prince backed into her.

"Sorry, have you found it yet?" he asked.

"No, and you're not helping!" Farah griped. "Oh! Here it is!" the little light they had disappeared and was followed by a huge grating sound which drowned out the sound of the approaching monster. Moonlight spilled into the tunnel as the wall slowly moved to the left. The Prince kept his eyes on the approaching light and estimated how far away the monster was was.

"Farah, get out of here. That monster will be here in-" he was interrupted by the appearing sand creature knocking him off his feet. '_I **hate** when they do that!'_ The Prince held up his sword above his face and got to his feet as quickly as he could. Gleaming yellow eyes shone from empty sockets at the Prince's height as the creature threw another punch at the Prince. The wall finished its journey and moonlight filled the tunnel, giving a clear view of the monster. A thin layer of skin stretched over what could be seen of its gaunt frame, emphasizing every bone, but not a single muscle.

"There is no man _that_ thin," the Prince gasped.

"Obviously, there is," Farah said, "Come on!" She retrieved her amulet and the wall began closing again.

"What are you doing?" the Prince asked nervously.

"Trying to trap it inside!" Farah replied.

The Prince struck at the monster but it used its own bony arm to parry him. He tried to run, but the monster struck every time he moved. He felt sweat roll down his face. _'I can't get away! I'll be trapped in here!'_ He tried to scream for Farah, but his throat wouldn't work. The door was halfway closed. Suddenly, an arrow sped by and lodged into the creature's skull. The monster retreated a few steps to pull it out.

The Prince seized the opportunity and swung at the monsters lower legs, knocking it off its feet. He darted to the exit, which was only two feet wide and closing. He could hear Farah urging him to hurry outside. Turning sideways and pressing against the wall, the Prince shuffled through the opening. Farah heaved a sigh of relief as the Prince made it out. The monster's screams were the last things they heard before the wall sealed shut once more. The Prince's sword slid out of his shaking hand and landed on the marble floor with a clatter that echoed through the silent hallway. He leaned against the wall and slid down it into a sitting position with his face in his hands. Farah approached his shaking form and tried to calm him.

"It's all right, you're safe. Look at me," she urged. The Prince slowly lifted his face from his palms until he was staring into those beautiful black orbs. "Look around, you made it."

The Prince tore himself from Farah's gaze long enough to look around. They were in a long empty hallway, illuminated by moonlight filtering through large stain glass windows. The walls were far apart and the ceiling was high. The Prince calmed down immediately. Farah backed off and he stood up. He picked up his sword and returned it to the sheath on his back.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Farah replied. "There are many hallways similar to this throughout my father's palace."

Monstrous screams tore through the silence from the opposite direction. The Prince whirled around to see five or more sand creatures further down the hall, staring right at them.

"Run!" the Prince shouted.

* * *

I noticed so many things I didn't really the first time I played. For example, try staring at Farah in 1st person before & after saving after the jail escape (& fight). You get an interesting reaction. :D 

Sorry for the poor descriptions, especially fighting, but hey, they're in a dark tunnel! Don't worry, there will be better description in the next few episodes and more fighting once the Prince gets a weapon. :D


	5. Phobias: Part Two

Praise the Lord, I finally finished chapter four! LOL!

A very deep apology towards my readers for the long wait. Not sure it anyone can tell or not, but I'm currently on a once-a-month update basis (and I even missed **that** deadline!). Once again, I apologize, but I'm sure everyone can understand considering it is the last quarter of school and life always gets hectic around now. I also get extremely lazy because of it, but I've made myself sit down to type this up! I'm feeling descriptive! Enjoy :-)

Ocecat- actually, the Prince tells Farah about his claustrophobia in the game when they first fall into the tomb (just before the bath coughsexcough scene).

**

* * *

****Fate  
****Chapter Four: Phobias, Part Two **

Farah and the Prince ran down the hall as fast as they could, the sounds of their own footsteps drowned out by the ever present sound of the sand creatures' disappearing and reappearing. The hall was lit with Rubble littered the hallway, tripping them up and slowing them down. _'We can't fight them! What can we do?'_ The Prince desperately tried to form a plan but could come up with nothing. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed flags lining the hallway, billowing from some sort of breeze, despite the lack of windows. As he ran on, paying more attention to his surroundings, he noticed gaps and cracks in the walls and it occurred to him where the rubble had come from.

"A crack," he said, smiling wistfully. _'A shame there are none at ground level.'_

Farah looked at him. "What?" she asked between breaths.

He shook his head, "Nothing." When he looked forward again, he felt his stomach drop. A huge rock pile that towered above them at the height of two grown men blocked the hallway. "We'll have to climb over it," he said to Farah.

"_Really?_ I was thinking we would just run straight through it," Farah replied. The Prince glanced at her to see her pulling out her bow.

"What are you doing?"

"Creating a distraction," she said. Farah pulled out an arrow from her quiver on her side, notched it, and let it fly. It flew up through the air and lodged itself into the wall near the ceiling.

"What are you-" the Prince began, but Farah cut him off.

"I know what I'm doing!" she said. The sand creatures appeared halfway down the hall and disappeared once more. Farah let fly another arrow, which ended up a few feet below the first one.

"Yes!" she cheered.

"What are you grinning about!" the Prince asked skeptically. Farah ignored him and loaded another arrow, firing once more, this one hitting the ceiling. Again, she took an arrow from her quiver.

"Don't waste your arrows!" the Prince commanded.

Farah obediently returned the newest arrow to her quiver.

"That's more like it," the Prince said haughtily. Farah glared at him and turned to start climbing.

"Need a boost?" he offered.

"I'm _fine_," she said. "And if I catch you looking up my skirt-" she let her warning hang and began climbing.

The Prince smirked, fully intending to ignore her, when a rumbling sound drew his attention. _'What the?' _The Prince whirled around, searching for the source but all he saw was the sand creatures' rapid approach. It took a few moments before he noticed the large crack that had formed halfway across the ceiling to halfway down the wall. The middle fell first, with the rest crumbling after. The Prince was just able to catch sight of the sand creatures appearing before they were covered with rocks. Silence filled the hall as the Prince gaped at the sight. Farah brought him back to his senses. "That won't distract them for long, come on!" she called from the top before she began her descent down the other side.

"That's _not_ possible," he called after her as he began his climb.

"Apparently, it is," Farah replied.

"How?"

"The walls were close to collapse anyway, I just gave them an extra boost," Farah said as her hand found it's way to her hip. The Prince fought down a smile and won, with the help of the sand creatures that appeared noisily below him. He whirled around to see the creatures behind him. Every one of them held a long spear that he estimated could reach his chest, if not higher, combined with their inhuman height. They looked all around them but up. One disappeared and reappeared a little further away and began pacing back and forth. The other four began pacing where they were. The Prince slowly got into a crouching position and found footholds to climb down with, never taking his eyes off the monsters. He took his time, testing the strength of placement before actually using it, but about halfway down his foot slipped, sending some loose rocks down.

The Prince froze, but knew it was too late. "Run!" he yelled again, leaping down even as he heard the sand creatures disappearing on the other side. They didn't get five feet before sand creatures appeared in front of them, forcing them to retreat to the rock pile. Farah pulled out her bow and fired at the nearest sand creature. Just as the arrow was about to strike, the monster's skin formed a hole through which the arrow harmlessly flew. Farah and the Prince gaped at the monster.

"That is _not_ possible," Farah said, stepping back, pressing against the rocks.

"Apparently, it is!" the Prince said, unable to hide his sarcasm. Farah glared at him. She slung her bow onto her shoulder, turned around, and began climbing quickly. The Prince felt adrenaline pumping through his body as the creatures approached. He sheathed his sword and scaled the pile so quickly he almost swore he flew. At the top he looked around.

"We need to get higher," he said.

"Higher!" Farah said, looking down. "Surely they can't reach-" she jerked out of the way of an oncoming spear. Before any others could take a jab at her she crouched down on the opposite edge, out of the way of the spears. Apparently, the sand creatures were too stupid to realize this, as they continued to shove spears up along the rock pile, with some even trying to throw them. At those times the Prince and Farah were forced to duck as far down as possible. They would have retreated to the other side, but apparently the sand creatures were smarter than previously thought since one had teleported to the other side. Luckily, this one seemed to have broken or misplaced its spear, though that didn't make it any less dangerous on the ground. Still, they both knew that eventually a sand creature with a spear would transport to the other side, or the one there already would get smart and throw rubble at them.

Suddenly, something cold fell on the Prince's cheek. He wiped it off and looked at it. _'Where did that come from…'_

"Look, up there!" Farah said, pointing above them to a large jagged hole just out of jumping reach. _'I bet I could reach it if I ran up the wall…'_

"Can you reach it?" the Prince asked.

"Maybe," she said. She scooted towards the wall and waited for the spears to go down and sprung up. She winced as her hands caught the edge, some sharp rocks digging into her skin. She shuffled her hands over until she found a smoother part. She heard a clanging sound directly behind her and turning her head, saw the Prince had unsheathed his sword and parried a spear aimed straight for her. He pressed his back against the wall, sword still out. She was able to stand on her shoulders and pull herself up until all her weight was in her arms. Swinging her knees forward, she was able to get them up on the ledge. Again, she winced as sharp rocks cut into her bare flesh. This was just one more incentive to move over as fast as possible and she quickly shifted over to a smoother looking spot. Cracking sounds drew her attention down again, where the Prince slashed at the spears, breaking them. He sheathed his sword and ran up the wall, grabbing the ledge and pulling himself up.

"Why didn't you just do that earlier?" Farah asked.

"Do what?"

"Break their spears?"

"I didn't think it would work," he said. He looked at the sky and sighed. Thick, black clouds were rolling in fast over the kingdom. '_**Great**, rain. Just what we need.'_ He looked down over the edge. From there they could see much of the kingdom. Below them were what seemed to him to be cages. _'Animals, even better.'_ There were some ledges and cracks that he could discern. "I see some ledges that we can use to climb down with," the Prince said, taking his gaze from the ground to glance at Farah. "Ladies first," he said with a grand bow.

Farah hesitated, leaning over to find the ledges the Prince mentioned. She managed to catch sigh of the ledges, but then found herself staring straight down, as if mesmerized, at the ground. It wasn't really that high, only a story, but even at that height a fall was deadly. Farah felt lightheaded as she realized how easy it would be for her to slip. Various death scenarios ran threw her mind. She saw herself tripping, jumping to her death, the ground falling beneath her and numerous others. It felt as if her balance was shifting, as if she had become heavier and gravity was slowly pulling her down. Her hands shot out, grabbing whatever they could for her to keep balance. Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her towards the Prince's chest. She looked at him, but her head quickly turned to look at the ground once more. She felt the Prince's breath as he whispered in her ear.

"It's ok, you're safe, you're safe," he continued whispering in her ear, but nothing could make her look away. She could hear every word clearly, but nothing sank in. He placed a hand on her face, gently pushing her face until she was staring into his eyes. She slowly released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"It's all right, it's all right. His hand gently stroked her face. She tried to look down again, but his hand firmly stopped her.

"No," he said, firmly. She tried to look again anyway. This time he let her. He leaned towards the edge and she tensed up in his arms, digging her nails into his back. She snapped out of her trance long enough to shoot him a glare and he laughed. "You won't fall. I'm here. You're safe," he coaxed. "Look at the sky," she did. Thunder echoed in the sky and moments later lighting struck, lighting up the sky. A gentle wind blew, ruffling her hair and throwing strands in her face. "We need to get down before those clouds reach us. It's not that far. I will be here the whole time. I will not let you fall." _'I would feel safer if I had the Dagger…'_

She relaxed her death hold around his chest and put some space between them, but didn't let go. The Prince looked down again, but this time he was the one to freeze.

"What is it?" Farah asked. She felt safe enough in the Prince's arms to know she wouldn't fall. Falling still scared her, but it did not have such a hold on her, for now. She looked down, searching for the source of his concern but all she saw was the palace walls. Then, off in the distance, she caught sight of more sand creatures atop the castle walls, dressed in foreign clothes. _'The invaders!'_ Still, they were far off and would be easy to avoid, not worth their concern.

"Father…" he whispered.

* * *

I'm afraid of heights and I decided that Farah was too since she refused to even try to climb at all, whether to stop the Prince from looking up her skirt or she just knew her limits (a haughty girl like her know her limits? HAH!) but hearing her whine 'I can't climb like that' without trying even at easy areas reminded me of how the Prince wouldn't even try to squeeze through cracks or under doors (which may have been because he couldn't fit… but I swear it looked like he could have fit under those doors!). 


	6. An Old Friend

Summary: Everything the Prince worked to avoid is happening again. The Prince and Farah managed to escape the sand creatures chasing them but now the Prince believes he has spotted his father.

I just want to say thx to all the people urging me to continue. :-D

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, all is God's.

* * *

**Fate  
****Chapter Five: An Old Friend**

Farah gasped. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," the Prince said grimly. "I would recognize that outfit anywhere." Farah looked again and this time noticed that one of the sand creatures stood out from the rest. It was taller and garbed in blue cloth and scale armor, or what was left of it.

"So now what do we do?"

"Now, we climb down, before it starts raining," the Prince said, peeling is eyes from his father's animated corpse. Farah gave the ground an uncertain glance.

"You'll be fine," the Prince said soothingly. "There's a ledge just below us, you should be able to reach it."

Farah decided not to try to look for it. Instead she got down on her stomach and reached with her feet over the ledge while the Prince directed her. She could feel it with the tips of her toes when she was hanging from the edge with only her hands. Farah made sure her toes were completely on the ledge before releasing her death grip on the ledge, and even then eased her heels down until they were flat. The ledge extended at a length smaller than her feet, forcing her to turn her entire body sideways to stay on.

"See now, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" The prince said jovially. He joined her, moving much quicker that Farah did. The ledge started shaking. The Prince wrapped his arm around Farah's waist and held onto the edge with his other hand. Then something happened the Prince hadn't seen before. The entire ledge gave way, not just that single section they were standing on, but the entire ledge. The Prince gave the crumbling ledge a disgusted look. _'How insulting! It's as if that ledge is calling me overweight!' _

Farah held onto his shoulders as tightly as possible. "I think I see a handhold right next to us. You could probably reach it if you tried."

"As long as you don't try to step onto it, fine," Farah said.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means you were too heavy for a ledge, so at least let me get down before you collapse anything else."

"Me? I'll have you know that never happened when I climbed down alone."

"So are you calling me overweight?"

"You said it, not me,"

"You know, I could easily dismember…"

"I could easily let go. Now are we going to hang here and bicker all day or are we going to at least _try_ to beat the rain?"

Farah looked over at the hand hold the Prince mentioned. It was small, barely the size of her hand, and less than a foot away. It was most likely the remains of aforementioned ledge.

"It's too small and it looks brittle," Farah said.

"Fine, do you think you could manage to get on my back?"

"Probably, hold on." The Prince removed his hand from around her waist and used it to hold onto the ledge as well. Farah wrapped her legs around the Prince's side. "Will this work?"

"I don't know, I'm worried that you might get hit with something. Are you sure you can't get on my back?"

"I suppose I could try one last thing," Farah said. With her legs wrapped around him, she was able to adjust her hands so that she was holding onto the outside of his shoulders. She used her hands to supports herself & moved her legs over until she was on his back.

"See, that wasn't…"

Farah clapped a hand around his mouth. "Remember the last time you said that? Let's not jinx ourselves." She removed her hands.

"Calling me unlucky, are you now?" the Prince asked.

"Considering the situation, very," Farah replied.

The Prince scoffed. He was able to climb down without any further incidents. His ears were still ringing with Farah's long after they had gotten down.

"Where are we going?" Farah asked when they got down.

"My father," the Prince said, indifferently. He began walking towards the giant walls surrounding the castle.

"Why?"

"I need his sword," he said shortly.

"What good will it do without the Dagger?"

"Trust me," he said. The Prince began walking towards the ramparts surrounding the castle. He had seen stairs leading to the top before their descent. That was where his father was and that was where they needed to go. Farah followed him in silence. They met no resistance, as the Prince thought they wouldn't. Everyone would have rushed to their stations once the attack began. However, this also meant there would be many archers and fighters on the ramparts. Getting to the King of Persia would be difficult.

"How are we going to get the sword away from him?" Farah whispered as they went up the stairs slowly.

"I'm not sure, I'm sort of making it up as I go," the Prince said.

"That's comforting," Farah replied.

"I don't see you coming up with anything!"

"Not like you've asked for my input," Farah retorted.

The Prince snorted and muttered under his breath. "As if you've held back any opinions anyway."

"What?"

"Nothing, just talking to myself," he quipped.

They paused near the top of the stairs. "We'll need to stay down," Farah said. "Some of my father's best archers and fighters will be on this wall."

"Great," the Prince snorted. They managed to reach the top of the stairs without alerting any of the Sand Creatures there, though both knew one step further would alert them all to their presence. The Persian King was at the end of the wall, next to a room that connected the perpendicular ramparts. The Prince silently motioned a plan to Farah. She wasn't sure if she understood correctly, but she nodded anyway.

A few minutes later and an arrow sped through the air, crashing into some boxes in the end room. The noise caught the attention of many of the Sand Creatures and they went rushing into the room. The Prince had been waiting for this moment. The Prince had used flags along the inside of the walls to get as close to the end as he could. Now, he jumped up to, on, and over the parapets, closing the door with a mighty thud.

The Prince dropped to the ground to avoid the blow aimed at his head. Luckily, or not, the sword stuck into the wooden door. The Prince used his hands to spring to his feet, kicking the sand creature back at the same time. The Prince tugged the sword with all his might, but it wouldn't budge. He gave up on it, it wasn't the sword he wanted anyway. For a brief moment, he wondered if he had accidentally locked his father, no not his father, in that room, but he caught sight of the King near the stairs. _'Near Farah!'_

The Prince rushed to the stairs, weaving around sand creatures as he went. There were so many of them, they hit one another in their attempts to strike him, clearing a path. This gave him an idea.

Farah, meanwhile, was trying her best to be invisible. That didn't work out as she had planned. Right after she fired her arrow most of the sand creatures went towards the noise. However, one of them, the most regally dressed, went for the source of the arrow, namely, her. She thought she was invisible and that it would perhaps pass, but when it raised its scimitar she knew better. Before she could blink it struck.

She heard a clanging sound and realized she had closed her eyes and covered her head. She opened them now, and saw the Prince standing over her, parrying the attack. She quickly moved out from behind him and loaded her bow.

"Farah, don't worry about it, just get to safety," the Prince said.

"What?" she asked incredulously.

"Trust me!" he said.

"Are you insane?"

"Perhaps, but I have a plan for once!" the Prince said.

"If you say so," Farah said doubtfully. She didn't put her bow away, but she did run further down the stairs. Whatever the Prince was planning, she planned to have his back.

The Prince quickly darted out of the way of the next blow but didn't seem to notice the sand creature standing right behind him. A well-aimed arrow stalled the sand creature. The Prince darted out of the way and the Sand King hit the stalled sand creature, destroying it in a single blow.

Farah stared in awe at that sword. It tugged at her memory, but she didn't have time to ponder it. She was too busy watching after the Prince. His plan soon came to light. He continuously darted around, avoiding attacks at every end, with her help, leading the Sand King to a point of attack, which he would avoid mid-swing. The Sand King would then accidentally strike and destroy one of its underlings. It was a dangerous plan, but it was working. But there were so many left. They crowded the walkway, hitting one another in attempts to hit the Prince, but also making it hard to maneuver around.

The Prince would wear down eventually. Farah only had a few arrows left.

"Prince!" she screamed.

"A little busy!" he yelled back.

Something made a noise behind her. Farah whirled around and came face to face with a familiar old, wizened face. Before she could scream he struck, knocking her aside. She stumbled and fell on the stair, but managed not to go tumbling down stairs.

"Was that necessary?" Farah hissed.

"To save your life? Yes," the Vizier replied.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Farah said. The Vizier jabbed his staff towards her face and she flinched once more, throwing her arms up and jerking out of the way. She mistook the clanging sound as the result of his staff missing her face and hitting the side of the stone steps. When she looked, she realized he had saved her from a sand creature's attack. A short chant later and the sand creature was destroyed and its sand floated away, towards the Prince.

Farah looked for the Prince. He was still dodging sand creatures, though he had slowed down and looked wounded. Cuts littered his body and blood poured from them. Sand was collecting near him. She knew what would happen once more sand had gathered.

"You have to help him!" Farah commanded the Vizier.

"Have patience, my dear Princess." The Vizier began chanting in a deep, guttural voice. He wove intricate patterns in the air as his voice became deeper, more fearsome. Farah was afraid that he was going to hurt the Prince and called out to him. This time, the Prince whirled around to look at her.

"You!" he spat at the Vizier. The Vizier finished his chant and a glow surrounded the Prince. The Prince was suddenly unable to move! He panicked, but was unable to scream. Moments passed and yet his inevitable demise did not come to pass. A sword sat stationary inches in front of his face, so he safely assumed the sand creatures were frozen, too.

"Good to see you, too," the Vizier said.

"What did you do?" Farah queried suspiciously.

"You have eyes, what does it look like I did?" the Vizier retorted. He approached the frozen Prince, Farah hot on his trail.

"Why did you freeze the Prince," she demanded.

"A minor err, simple to recant."

"Don't let it happen again!" Farah threatened.

"Really now, is that the way you should treat a potential ally?"

"Why would we help you?"

"Because my dear Princess, you need me," the Vizier said calmly, pushing aside the sword in front of the Prince's face and tapping the Prince lightly on the forehead with his index finger. A blue glow enveloped the Prince and he collapsed to the ground. The Prince would have fallen straight into a sword just in front of his face if the Vizier had not moved it.

"Really? From the looks of it, you need me," the Prince said, getting up and dusting himself off.

"Do I? Without my magic, you will turn," the Vizier said

"Turn?" the Prince said.

"Into a sand creature."

"You're lying… isn't he, Farah?" the Prince said confidently.

Farah noticed the nuance of desperation in his voice and looked into his eyes. She looked away and admitted softly, "He's telling the truth." The Prince stared at the frozen figure of his father next to him. He had never thought that he might fall prey to the same fate as his father. Fear overwhelmed him, but he did his best not to show it.

"You don't have the Dagger. Without it, you are just as vulnerable as anyone else," the Vizier said, a sickening little sneer etched on his face.

"But what about you?" the Prince asked Farah, ignoring the Vizier.

"My amulet protects me," she said, gingerly fingering said amulet.

"Handy little trinket, isn't it?"

Farah smiled. "In the most impossible of situations."

"Yes, yes," the Vizier interrupted. He ignored the obvious annoyance shown by Farah and the Prince.

"What's protecting you?"

"My magic, which is what is also now saving you."

"Why couldn't you have done that for more people?" Farah asked.

"Even _my_ magic is limited."

"Imagine _that_," the Prince muttered under his breath. The Vizier ignored him.

"To what extent is not your concern,"

"Yes it is," the Prince argued. "I don't want to turn."

The Vizier waved him off. "Very well, all you need to know is that spell only reaches up to a ten foot radius."

The Prince scowled. "Meaning we need to keep you around,"

"Precisely," the Vizier smirked.

* * *

Oh snap, I'm evil. Ah well, I needed a way to explain why the Prince won't turn… :-P Any OOCness on anyone's parts, especially the Vizier? C'mon, you didn't think he'd died now, did you? Pshaw. Don't be afraid to criticize, it's what I want! 

My SoT game is scratched. ;; It's possessed! Waaaah! It's not the remote or the PS2, cuz other games work.


	7. Magic

Summary: Everything the Prince worked to avoid is happening again. Now he has paired up with Farah and the Vizier to try to save the world… again.  
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, all is God's.

* * *

**Fate**  
**Chapter Six: Magic**

The Prince scowled and tugged at the curved, eagle beak that served as the hilt of the Sand Kings sword. It was stuck. The Prince gripped the beak, and used his legs to push against the Sand King while he tugged.

"Leggo!" he muttered. The sword budged slightly, but remained in the Sand Kings firm grip. The Prince paused, breathing deeply and cursing.

"Having trouble?" the Vizier inquired amusedly. The Prince ignored him and tugged even more. The sword gave way and he landed on his butt. Farah and the Vizier chuckled behind him. The Prince stayed on the floor a few minutes and caught his breath, his cheeks burning. He stood up and slid the eagle sword into his back hilt with a familiar comfort. _'We should be safer now that I have this sword.'_

"Oh, you may want to kill those sand creatures before they…" a horrific groan ripped through the silence. "…revive," the Vizier finished, giving the Prince a bored stare.

The Prince whipped around. Every single last sand creature resumed as if nothing had happened. He instinctively ducked to avoid the Sand King's sword before remembering he held it now. Even so, the Sand King swung a mighty punch over his head that he was glad to avoid.

"I saw you control these monstrosities before, why don't you now?" the Prince demanded as he swiped one guard creature through the waist. It howled and dissipated.

"I don't have the strength anymore," the Vizier complained melodramatically.

"Great," the Prince said. He held his swords up for defense. There were too many of them and they were too tightly packed on this narrow rampart for him to risk anything fancy. _'I don't want to jump over one and get speared while in the air, or miss the ground.'_ He slashed at the sand creatures closest to him, dissolving five of them at once. _'I've missed this sword.'_ Their sand flew through the air past him.

"Help me!" Farah shrieked. The Prince glanced at her and cursed as a sand creature's sword slashed his stomach. Blood seeped through the shallow cut and stained his white pants. He stumbled back a few steps before he could get a firm footing again. He slashed the eagle sword sideways dissipating three sand creatures at once and turned to look again.

Sand ruffled through his hair in a strong wind. He whirled around, expecting more sand creatures to appear behind him. Farah stood facing him with her bow.

"Don't shoot!" the Prince yelled.

"Just for that, I should," Farah muttered. _'I can't believe he thinks I would shoot the sand. As if he thinks I don't have the intelligence to wait until the sand creatures form.' _Farah waited. Her palms were sweaty, and she hastily wiped them on her skirt. _'I can handle this.'_ The sand flew towards her and any moment it would stop and gather to form the creatures. But it hadn't. It was getting closer. _'Why isn't it stopping?'_

Farah tried sidestepping the sand, but it followed her. '_It's going to consume me!'_ Farah only had time to duck and cover her face before the sand was upon her.

"Farah!" the Prince yelled. He knocked back sand creatures with his sword and sprinted towards her. A cyclone of sand surrounded her silent form. _'I can't tell where she is… if I strike, I might hit her!'_

"Farah!" he shouted. "Can you hear me?"

A rushing wind flung her hair around and rustled her clothes. '_Why isn't it attacking?' _Something tickled her neck. She grabbed at her throat and felt sand pouring into her amulet. She peered between her fingers. A tornado of sand spun in front of her, the tail end connecting to her glowing amulet. _'The sand… is it… disappearing?' _

"Farah!" the Prince yelled. She could hear him clearly.

"Prince?" she yelled.

"Farah! Are you all right?"

"I… I think so…" Farah said. The cyclone shrank quickly and disappeared. She looked up and saw the Prince fighting off another sand creature ferociously. The Prince grunted and screamed angrily with every attack.

"I'm all right, now," she told him.

He glanced at her and relaxed. He sliced the sand creature from the shoulder to its leg and it disappeared.

"What… happened?" he asked between deep breaths.

"Are you all right?"

"Of course I am. I'm always out of breath after a rush like that."

"What happened to you?" the Prince asked.

"I think… I think my amulet absorbed the sand."

The Prince blinked at her. He muttered something incomprehensive and hacked the head off another sand creature before asking, "Is your amulet related to the Dagger… and the Hourglass?"

Farah shrugged and fingered said amulet. "Not as far as I know."

Another sand creature approached. "We'll figure it out later. Watch your back!"

Farah stumbled behind the Prince as he attacked two more sand creatures.

"Help us!" Farah barked at the Vizier who was leaning casually on his staff.

"Why should I?"

"What! Do you really think you can survive without us?"

"I suppose not…" the Vizier drawled. "Very well, then." He reluctantly lifted and wiggled the fingers of his right hand towards the Prince as he mumbled a small chant under his breath. Glowing red wisps shot out of his hand and hit the Prince.

"Tell me what you are doing!" Farah demanded. The Prince's agonized screams tore her attention from the Vizier. She looked over to see the Prince sinking to the ground. Before she could even lift her bow the Vizier finished a second chant, sending blue wisps that exploded on her back.

A strange calmness settled over Farah. Her bow slipped out of her hand and she sprinted towards the collapsed Prince. She grabbed the Prince's forgotten swords. Farah whirled around, remembering the brief sword-fighting lessons her father had given her. 'Hold your sword firmly… Ignore all doubts…' her father's voice whispered in her ear. She parried a spear, but was knocked down by the force of the blow. 

Farah looked up and gasped, "Raman." One of her father's personal guards stood over her. _'No, not Raman, a monster with his face.'_ Farah convinced herself. Paper-thin skin covered his body, just like all the others. But the others she did not know, had not grown up knowing and trusting. The monster brought down its sword. Farah rolled away and the sword struck the stone floor with a loud clang. "Raman," Farah pleaded. It roared in her face.

Farah backed away. Another monster roared behind her and she whirled around to find the Sand King looming over her. She thrust at it, but the Sand King knocked the sword out of her feeble hands. Behind her, other sand creatures roared.

The Prince screamed again, and Farah glanced at him. He was in the fetal position, clutching his sides and writhing in agony as metal appeared in his sides. _'Injuries! Wait… What in the world?' _She did a double take. Four swords, two under each arm, were slowly coming out of his sides. Sand creatures approached him, their weapons raised.

She felt something small and light hit her back. Everything around her slowed to a halt. Farah examined the Sand King before her. The sword it wielded was above her head, descending an inch every second. She looked around to find the closest sand creatures in the same state. The rest of the sand creatures were normal, as were the Prince and, from what she could hear, the Vizier. The other sand creatures could not get past the ring of their slowed fellows.

The Prince groaned and Farah crouched next to him, carefully avoiding the swords, which were at the hilts now. _'Surely the pain is almost over…'_

"Sword…" the Prince muttered.

"Oh!" Farah said. She looked around for her fallen sword and caught sight of it beneath a sand creatures legs. She rushed to it, but hesitated when she got there. _'How long will this enchantment last? I suppose the longer I wait…'_ Farah dropped to the ground and snatched the sword out from under the sand creature's legs. The sand creatures sped up instantly.

A yellow wisp hit her in the back and her arms and legs rippled with newly acquired muscles. She stood up and parried numerous blows sent her way. Eventually she moved from a defensive stance to an offensive one, hacking and slashing at the sand creatures around her, finding undeniable pleasure at her own power and strength. Sand creatures dissipated at a single slash of one sword, while the other sword knocked them down.

The Sand King was there again. Farah wove around its attacks and struck. It did not fall, like the others, but was knocked back. She struck again, but this time Raman jumped in the way. Farah stared at Raman for one horrified moment before he-it dissipated. _'He gave his life for the enemy king…' _Farah corrected herself. '_Existence. Every single one is already dead.'_ The irony of her father's most trusted guard protecting a rival King was not lost on her. _'There are no rival kingdoms anymore.'_ Farah realized. _'This is much bigger than that.'_


End file.
